Volunteers Treat 300 at Remote Medical Site in Tonga

As the word spreads through the community about the medical care being provided by the Pacific Partnership 2011 mission, people in Tonga are waiting in long lines to make sure they have an opportunity to visit with doctors and nurses at the medical sites before the team leaves to provide care and education in four other Oceania nations.

Today, the remote medical clinic in Tuaekivale, Tonga was filled with joy, as children ran around the site. HOPE volunteers Dr. Alan Jamison and Maureen Kisicki took a brief moment to recognize the children’s joy before getting to work on another busy day of medical care.

Dr. Jamison noticed that out of the many cases he has seen today, most were dermatology related. “There are more skin problems today than pediatric cases,” says Jamison, a retired Pediatrician from Morristown, Tennessee. “I have seen skin problems related to bug bites and other skin infections. One of the main problems is fungal infection.”

In addition to the HOPE medical volunteers, local nurses from the Prince NGU Hospital participated in the remote medical clinic today, and even some of the patients themselves, happy about their treatments, did whatever they could to ensure as many people as possible received medical care.

“It was really great teamwork throughout the day,” says Kisicki, a nurse from Olney, Maryland. “Everyone pushed though the heat and sun together to see as many patients as possible."

As the sun set over the beautiful island nation, the HOPE volunteers completed their long day of care satisfied, knowing that together, they provided medical care and health counsel to nearly 300 Tongans.